LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas Valley resident Raymond Martin finds himself in a situation many around town can relate to. Martin has had car troubles and can’t afford to fix them and register his car.
“My electric bill is about a year past due. I owe about $2,200 on it. Rent is past due. I have medical bills I cannot pay. Monthly payments I cannot pay. And they just keep adding up. My income doesn’t change because I’m on a fixed income. So, if I get behind on something, I can’t get caught up. There’s no way,” said Martin.
He says his van has transmission and emission problems. He says his car won’t pass a smog test, so he won’t be able to register it. He says his apartment complex requires residents to be current with their vehicle registration.
“It could get towed,” said Martin.
“The property owner or the management company has the right to notify residents within a certain time period that they will be taking action,” said JD Decker, the chief of the Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division.
He says it’s common for apartment complexes and HOAs to do this. He says there are public complaints about cars just sitting around. Some stolen cars are dumped in apartment parking lots, taking up space meant for residents, or people leave cars, and they become blight.
FOX5 reached out to the Nevada State Apartment Association.
“While we are unable to comment on one specific instance, it is a top priority of any housing provider to provide safety and security for all of their residents. It is also a common practice for multifamily housing, HOAs and similar groups to have parking policies as a deterrent to blight or illegal activity. However, when evaluating any issue, we recommend constant communication between a resident and their housing provider in order to address and understand every situation and its unique factors,” said NVSAA Executive Director Robin Crawford.
Decker says there’s a program that can help people drive their cars legally, even if they fail a smog test. He says people who spend $450 or more to make emission system repairs, and still fail smog, can get a waiver for that year’s smog certificate. That allows them to register that car for a year. However, they would have to pass the smog the following year. He also says the mechanic must be one who has a license with the DMV to work on emission control systems.
Currently, Martin doesn’t have a good solution to his problem. He has set up a GoFundMe, but right now isn’t sure what will happen next.
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